





















SENATE. 


64th Congress, 
1st /Session. 


i 


J Document 
( No. 314. 


CONDITION OF THE FRIGATE “CONSTITUTION.” 


LETTER 


THE SECRETARY OF THE NAVY, 

IN RESPONSE TO THE RESOLUTION OF THE SENATE OF JANUARY 
25, 1916, CALLING FOR ALL FACTS BEARING UPON THE PRES¬ 
ENT CONDITION OF THE FRIGATE “CONSTITUTION” AND THE 
AMOUNT OF MONEY ESTIMATED TO BE NECESSARY TO PUT THAT 
VESSEL IN A CONDITION OF GOOD REPAIR. 


February 7, 1916.— Referred to the Committee on Appropriations and ordered to 

to be printed. 


Navy Department, 
Washington, February 2, 1916. 

Sir: In reply to the resolution of the Senate of the United States, 
dated January 25, 1916, directing that all facts bearing on the 
present condition of the frigate Constitution, and also the amount of 
money estimated to put that vessel in a condition of good repair be 
communicated to the Senate, the department submits the following 
from reports of the Board of Inspection and Survey for Ships, and 
from the commandant of the Boston Navy Yard, regarding the con¬ 
dition of the Constitution and the estimates to repair this vessel: 

The Constitution was extensively repaired about seven years ago, 
the cost being about $100,000. The principal items were repairs to 
outside planking and top timbers, new spars, blocks and rigging, re¬ 
pairs to upper and lower Tween decks, new channels and chain plates, 
new copper sheathing along the water line, and repairs to fixed 
joiner work. She was not docked at that time, the last docking being 
in 1897. 

Since the above repairs were made the vessel has been in charge 
of a ship keeper. No regular working gang has been assigned for 
general upkeep other than one enlisted man. 

In 1911 extensive repairs were made to the rigging by the yard 
force, and at different times the paint work has been touched up by 
enlisted men from the receiving ship. 

The main deck leaks; the main rails and bulwarks are rotten in a 
number of places; the fife and pin rails are rotted away; the rigging 
needs tarring down; some of the spars are badly checked, due to 
insufficient protection; the paint work and joiner work are not kept 
up; and the ceiling is rotten in many places. 

The work authorized on the vessel should be in accordance with 
the policy of the department. If it is only intended to make the 
upper works presentable and the spars and rigging safe, this can be 






















2 


CONDITION OF THE FRIGATE CONSTITUTION. 


HZ r?2, 

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done for a moderate expenditure and the rest of the vessel allowed- 
to gradually rot away until unsafe to even float alongside the dock. 

If, however, it is desired for the sake of sentiment to keep the vessel 
afloat and in a good state of repair as long as possible—that is, to 
continue to carry out the spirit of the appropriation under which the 
vessel was extensively repaired seven to eight years ago—then exten¬ 
sive repairs should be made at this time. The vessel should be docked 
and the underwater planking, framing, and sheathing placed in good 
condition; and the rotten ceiling and planking inside should all be 
removed and renewed. This work, in addition to that necessary to 
make the upper works presentable, which is listed below as requested 
by the commandant, would involve a considerable expenditure, prob¬ 
ably well over the 10 per cent limit to which repairs to wooden vessels 
are limited by law. The docking of the vessel would be a difficult 
and expensive job, as special care would be necessary to avoid dam¬ 
aging the hull; but as the bottom planking has not been exposed 
since 1897 and as the copper sheathing undoubtedly is gone in a 
number of places, exposing the bottom to the action of worms, it is 
believed to be necessary to dock the vessel if there is to be any cer¬ 
tainty as to her condition. 

In connection with the condition of the bottom it is noted that in 
1912 the vessel made about 30 inches of water a month. Now she 
makes about 25 inches a week and is said to make more in rough 
weather, indicating that there is some working of the vessel alongside 
the dock. . •' 

The estimates below assume that the present rates of wages and 
costs of materials will not be materially increased before the com¬ 
pletion of the repairs: 


Item. 

Labor. 

Indi¬ 

rect. 

Mate¬ 

rial. 

Total. 

1. Removing and replacing topmast, topgallant mast, all yards and 
tops, repairing, and replacing them. 

$800 

$160 

$250 

$1,210 

2. Removing all rigging, repairing and replacing shrouds and other 
heavy gear, and renewing light gear. 

1,400 

280 

940 

2,620 

3. Remove, temporarily stow, and replace battery. 

360 

110 

80 

550 

4. Remove and replace ballast, cleaning as may be necessary. 

300 

100 

25 

425 

5. Docking and undocking, and care and preservation in dock. 

1,600 

380 

150 

2,130 

6. Special shoring and staging while in dock in connection with repairs. 

3, 500 

1,225 

1,100 

5,825 

7. Remove old copper sheathing . 

600 

210 


810 

8. Remove defective outside planking. 

3,200 

3,900 

1,100 


4,300 
10,250 

9. Remove and replace decayed underwater framing. 

350 

5,000 

10. Fit new outside planking, using new copper through fastening. 

10,500 

3,500 

16,500 

30,500 

11. Calk new planking and recalk old planking below water line. 

2,200 

7-50 

500 

3,450 

12. Recopper entire bottom. 

2,000 

700 

7,800 

10,500 

13. Repair, renew, and refasten inside ceiling below berth deck, includ¬ 
ing new fastening. 

6,900 

2,400 

3,500 

12,800 

14. Repair, renew, and refasten berth-deck Deam knees. 

1,200 

400 

3,000 

4,600 

15. Repair decayed berth-deck beam ends. 

1,400 

510 

600 

2,510 

16. Repair and renew orlop-deck beam knees. 

650 

230 

1,600 

2,480 

17. Repair decayed orlop-deck beam ends. 

18. Remove and replace joiner work on gun and berth decks. 

400 

140- 

300 

840 

800 

380 

150 

1,330 

19. Remove lead lining from magazines, tin sheathing from bread and 
sail rooms, and decayed woodwork underneath; replace with new 
material. 

2,200 

1,080 

2,710 

5,990 

20. Remove and replace miscellaneous bulkheads below berth deck, in- 

eluding chain and shot lockers, to permit repairs to bottom plank¬ 
ing . 

480 

160 

250 

890 

21. Recalk and make miscellaneous minor repairs to planking of spar, 
gun, berth, and orlop decks.. — 

2,800 

900 

1,150 

4,850 

22. Recalk top sides above copper line. 

820 

280 

140 

1,240 

23. Repaint ship throughout. 

2,600 

900 

1,400 

4,900 

24. Miscellaneous minor repairs to catheads, figureheads, gunport shut¬ 
ters, airports, and lenses, blocks, fife, and pin rails, main rails, and 
bulwarks. 

800 

300 

350 

1,450 

5,700 

25. Miscellaneous minor repairs which can not be specified at this time. 

3,500 

1,700 

500 

Total. 

54,910 

19,245 

47,995 

122,150 



D. Of D. 
MAY a 1916 








































CONDITION OF THE FRIGATE CONSTITUTION. 


3 


The reports from which the foregoing are quoted were made June 
and September, 1914. The department’s estimate of $150,000 cov¬ 
ers not only the estimates given above but also makes allowances 
for additional work that will undoubtedly become apparent only 
after the repairs in question are undertaken. It also makes allow¬ 
ances for the increase in cost of labor and material. 

The repairs and alterations referred to in the second paragraph of 
this communication, that were made some years ago at a cost of 
$100,000, included work necessary to restore the vessel as nearly as 
possible to the condition in which it was when it took part in its his¬ 
toric battles. The estimates now under consideration are for the 
purpose of repairing and preserving the vessel for a long period of 
years. 

Very respectfully, 

Josephus Daniels, 
Secretary of the Navy, 

Hon. James M. Baker, 

Secretary Senate of the United States , Washington , D. C. 

o 


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